MANILA, Philippines – If there’s one Philippine brand that Filipinos can be proud of aside from fast-food Jollibee, it’s San Miguel Beer. 

Southeast Asia’s first brewery – La Fabrica de Cerveza de San Miguel – was established in the Philippines in 1890 or 134 years ago, an enterprise that became San Miguel Corporation (SMC) in 1964. 

SMC’s successful beer business became the foundation for ventures into a diverse line of food products, starting with Magnolia Ice Cream in 1925 or 99 years ago. 

Today, San Miguel Food and Beverage Incorporated (SMFB) is the Philippines’ most diversified food company and one of its largest. 

There’s probably no household in the Philippines that doesn’t have a San Miguel product in its refrigerator or pantry. 

In 2023, SMFB earned a “record profit” of P38 billion, its highest since the company consolidated its beer, food, and spirits (gin) business units six years ago. (READ: San Miguel nets P43.2 billion in 2022)

Calling its 2023 financial results “extraordinary,” SMFB president and CEO Ramon Ang on Thursday, March 7, thanked its “loyal customers” for supporting the company as it navigated the “year’s challenges.”

Here is SMFB’s diverse product portfolio: 

Beer and non-alcoholic beverages

San Miguel Brewery is the Philippines’ largest producer of beer. According to the company, its nine main beer brands have “an aggregate market share of 92.4%.” These brands and sub-brands are: 

In 2023, SMFB’s Beer division had an 8% increase in consolidated sales to P147.3 billion, which it said was “fueled by higher demand in both local and international markets.” However, domestic sales volumes were still 25% below pre-pandemic levels, the company said.

International revenues from its beer business went up 7% in 2023, while net income reached P25.3 billion. 

SMFB said this was “propelled by strong demand for San Miguel’s global brands, such as Red Horse, leading to significant growth in regions like South China, Thailand, and through exports.”

Ginebra San Miguel Incorporated

Ginebra San Miguel, best known for its beloved Philippine basketball team Barangay Ginebra, is the world’s largest gin producer by volume, according to SMFB. It is also the Philippines’ leading hard liquor brand.

In 2023, SMFB’s spirits division reported revenues of P53.6 billion, up by 13% from 2022. Net income reached P7 billion. 

Its main products are: 

Ginebra San Miguel has five bottling plants: Cabuyao, Laguna; Cauayan City, Isabela; Ligao City, Albay; and Mandaue City, Cebu. 

Food division

SMFB’s food division reported revenues of P178.8 billion in 2023, up by 2% increase from the year prior. 

Its diverse products range from frozen meats, butter, cheese, margarine, ice cream, flour-based products, and pet and aquatic feeds. It also breeds, grows, processes, and markets basic meats such as chicken and beef.

Purefoods-Hormel Company Incorporated

SMC bought Pure Foods Corporation in 2001 and renamed it San Miguel Pure Foods Company. It put up a joint venture with Hormel Foods International – Purefoods-Hormel Company Incorporated (PHC) – which produces processed meats refrigerated and in cans.

PHC currently dominates the Philippines’ hotdog and nuggets market with its Purefoods Tender Juicy and Purefoods Nuggets brand. 

Its other major products are: 

PHC is also the exclusive distributor of Hormel’s SPAM and Skippy Peanut Butter. 

With many heads of families now too busy to prepare food at home, the market for frozen ready-to-eat meals has grown. Among the frozen products the company sells are: Purefoods Beef Bulalo, Beef Kaldereta, Beef Pares, Bistek Tagalog, Kare-Kare, and Chicken Afritada. 

SMC ventured into meat-free products in 2020 with the launch of Veega, a plant-based protein food. Among the Veega products are: tapa, sausage, giniling, meat balls, burger patty, nuggets, tocino, adobo flaks, and garlic balls.

Dairy

In 1990, SMFB’s parent firm SMC acquired the brands Star and Dari Creme. In 2004, San Miguel Purefoods relaunched Magnolia milk and ice cream. Here are some of the company’s dairy products:

Butter

• Star Margarine (several flavors)
• Dari Creme
• Magnolia Gold Butter
• Magnolia Baker’s Best
• Magnolia Butter-licious
• Magnolia Buttercup

Milk and cream

• Magnolia Chocolait
• Magnolia Full Cream Milk
• Magnolia Fresh Milk
• Magnolia Non-Fat Milk
• Magnolia Low-Fat Milk
• Magnolia All-Purpose Cream

Cheese

• Magnolia Cheezee
• Magnolia Cheddar
• Magnolia Quickmelt
• Magnolia Quezo de Bola

Baking

• Magnolia All-Purpose Flour
• Magnolia Pancake
• Magnolia cake mixes

Spread

• Magnolia Real Mayonnaise
• Magnolia Sandwich Spread

Ice cream

• Magnolia Gold Label ice cream (various flavors) 

Magnolia Incorporated

SMFB’s poultry business is under San Miguel Foods Incorporated (SMFI). The poultry venture started in 1972 with its first breeder farm in Cavite. The following year, the first Magnolia Fresh Chicken was produced by its first chicken processing plant in Muntinlupa.

Despite the continuing problem with the African swine fever affecting supply as well as competition from imported frozen chicken, SMFB said its poultry business still managed a net income of P6.6 billion in 2023. It said this exceeded pre-pandemic figures. 

SMFB has major investments in Philippine agro-industry, particularly in commercial feeds, poultry, pork, and beef. Its main brands are Magnolia Fresh Chicken and Monterey for pork and beef. 

SMFI has third-party suppliers that grow chicks, hogs, and cattle. SMFI provides the chicks, pigs, feed, vet meds, and technical support. The contract partner provides the land, labor, and security. SMFI has a network of over 100 breeder farms for chicken contract farming. 

The Magnolia brands cover the following products: 

• Magnolia Whole Chicken (Chicken Big Bird; Free Range Chicken, Fresh Chicken)
• Magnolia cut-ups (various)
• Magnolia Cage-Free Brown Eggs
• Magnolia Ready-to-Cook Timplados (fried chicken, tocino, chicken longanisa, chicken wings, chicken bbq, chicken fingers, etc.)

Coffee business

SMC ventured into the coffee industry in 2005 with a joint venture with Super Coffeemix Manufacturing Limited. Its San Miguel Super Coffee Mix has various flavors: Original, Sugar-free, Barako, and Crema Barako.

Protein and animal nutrition, etc

SMC’s lesser-known ventures are in feeds, flour, bakery ingredients, and pet food and animal care:

• Feeds: B-Meg Feeds
• Animal Health Care: Veterinary medicines such as Protect Plus
• Pet Care: Nutri Chunks dog food
• Flour: San Miguel Mills flour (All-Purpose Flour, Cake Flour, Wheat Flour)
• Premixes and Bakery Ingredients: Best Bake Butter Cake Mix, Baking Powder, Pan de Sal mix

SMC also has Great Food Solutions, a food-service arm of San Miguel Foods that sells ready-to-cook and ready-to-eat products under the brands Chef’s Selection and Cook Express to institutional clients.

“San Miguel Food and Beverage (SMFB) closed 2023 with extraordinary financial results, achieving its highest net income since 2018, when we first consolidated our Beer, Food, and Spirits businesses,” Ang said in his press statement.

Below is a history of SMC as narrated by historian Ambeth Ocampo, who says San Miguel is “now part of Filipino identity.”

– Rappler.com

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